A year ago, the Valiants put together a 16-game winning streak late in the season and looked for all the world like a team that would – or at least could – win their school’s first state championship since 2007.

This year, Valley Catholic - the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state – wants it all.

“We've talked about what it would mean to win a championship, but our mantra is to stay focused, to stay focused on the next game,” said Valley Catholic coach Joel Sobotka. “That's a big thing for us.”

The Valiants look loaded in 2013-14, led this year by returning Lewis & Clark League Player of the Year and University of Portland-commit Gabe Taylor, a 6-foot-8 senior wing post, 6-1 senior point guard Jarrett Gray (another all-L&C first-teamer) and 6-1 senior wing Carter Buuck (an L&C honorable mention pick).

Together, that group knows it will have a chance to win almost every night, but also knows it will get the opposition’s best shot almost every night.

“We have to know that there's a target on us and we're proud of that,” Sobotka said. “It's flattering to have that. I've told the guys ‘You've earned that.’ But it also means the other teams are going to come out with their best every night.”

“Now it's just staying focused,” Sobotka said. “You can get distracted by outside influences, people talking about how good you are, and the next thing you know, you can get bounced. I don't think by any stretch that we are that much more talented than everybody else in the state. It just comes up down to who's playing the best basketball at the end of year in March.”